The approximately $100,000 in funds to develop the EMS were awarded through the Small Business Innovation Research program.  The SBIR is a highly competitive program that encourages domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research and Development  that has the potential for commercialization.

We believe that the EMS is key to enabling large-scale commercialization of high tunnels in cold weather regions.  Once developed, it will enhance the efficiency of high tunnel crop production while minimizing human error and reducing labor costs.  The system is also affordable and should be rugged enough to handle the climate and weather extremes of the Upper Midwest.

Scenic Valley Farms plans  to start work on the project this month.  Precision Control Systems of Eden Prairie will test and benchmark the sensors, interface controllers and software before field testing begins in Rosemount and Readstown.  Over the winter months, we’ll be cultivating spinach and other leafy greens in our solar thermal high tunnel.  This will provide an excellent opportunity to ensure that the system is properly weatherized.   The entire project is scheduled to last 10 months before potentially moving into the commercialization phase.

We’ll be providing periodic updates as the project progresses but please feel free to contact us if you’d like to come take a closer look at the EMS in one of our high tunnels.

Some of the topics that will be covered during the field day include basic high tunnel construction techniques, constructing a drip irrigation system, installing moisture sensors, building a trellis system, bramble selection, determining compost and fertilization requirements, pruning techniques and marketing.

At the moment, the commercial blackberry industry is virtually non-existent in the Upper Midwest.  So if you are considering producing blackberries, or are just interested in high tunnel agriculture in general, the information provided at the field day should be invaluable.

If you would like more information please email Craig Gundacker at cegundacker@scenicvalleyfarms.com or Erik Gundacker at gun@usinternet.com

At the start of the season, we planted three rows of mostly indeterminate varieties in each high tunnel for a total of 360 plants.    Doing the math, our yields have equaled roughly 2.2 pounds per plant per week for the past three weeks (determinate tomatoes are bred to produce heavy yields during a 3-4 week window period and afterwards decline dramatically).

The chart below shows weekly yields for determinate varieties of high tunnel grown tomatoes at the University of Minnesota Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton, MN.  The two varieties SWROC measured were Valley Girl and Paragon.  Our high tunnels contain a type of Valley Girl and a variety very similar to Paragon.  From the chart, you can see that our yield totals have either met or surpassed those of the university researchers.

Despite the delayed harvest, our tomatoes still arrived 3-4 weeks earlier than field grown varieties in the region.  And by slightly tweaking our high tunnel configuration we expect to still be harvesting into November. Comparing the blackberries is a little trickier as Scenic Valley Farms is essentially the only producer of floricane varieties in the Upper Midwest.

The fruits and vegetables are being sold through a variety of channels.  Jesse Downs, the high tunnel production manager, can be found Wednesday at the Gays Mills Farmers Market and Saturday at the Viroqua Farmers Market.

Be warned, however, our organic blackberries have quickly gained a strong following and sell out early.  Unlike store bought blackberries, we pick ours when they are fully ripe and the high tunnels allow them to grow exceptionally large.  That makes them perhaps the sweetest (and biggest) berries on the market.  So if you want to experience these berries, we recommend you arrive early.

If you can’t make it to the farmer’s market, we’re also selling small quantities of blackberries, along with numerous cases of organic tomatoes, at the Viroqua Food Co-op, the People’s Food Co-op in Lacrosse, the Good Food Co-op in Rochester, the Wedge Co-op in Minneapolis and various restaurants.

In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be harvesting our heirloom tomatoes and a wide variety of sweet and hot peppers.  And even as summer fades and the chill of autumn sets in, we’ll still be bringing fresh, organic produce to market thanks to our solar thermal high tunnel technology.

Tomato plants with normal (left) and reduced (right) irrigation levels

We consulted Carl Rosen, Head of the Soil, Water and Climate Department at the University of Minnesota, and he explained that watering helps to release nitrogen, a key nutrient during the vegetative stage of growth.  Watering also allows the roots to access more built up organic matter and added compost in the soil.

The results of our research will assist us in developing a schedule for timing plant flowering, and thereby give us another powerful too to extend the harvest period.

Also, the tomato plants in the solar thermal high tunnel are at least a week farther along than in the unheated high tunnel right next door, despite being planted eight days later.  The additional warmth in the soil has accelerated plant growth and we’re expecting to have a small harvest of tomatoes by mid-June.

By the end of April, we noticed a striking divergence in the data between the two tunnels.  And due to an extended period of sunny conditions in May, the solar thermal soil temperatures were registering 15-20 F warmer.  Needless to say, the plants appreciated all that extra heat.

The photo below was taken on May 30th.  It shows three rows of  Brandywine and Early Girl tomato varieties.  These types of tomatoes fruit earlier and require no pruning.

Tomato and blackberry plants in the solar thermal high tunnel on May 30th

In between the rows of tomatoes are the first year growth of blackberry canes.  Later in the summer, the brambles will be trellised and the tomato plants will be removed from the high tunnel.

Jesse has over ten years of combined agriculture and horticulture experience.  He is originally from the Duluth and Iron Range region but has lived in the Driftless area of Southwest Wisconsin for much of the last ten years.

He graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC.  While attending school, he managed a 25 sow farrow-to-finish operation as part of the college farm.

As an AmeriCorps/VISTA Community Agriculture Program Development Coordinator with the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, he was responsible for managing an organic five acre vegetable farm and fruit orchard while also providing instruction in community gardening.

He then moved on to become Assistant Farm Manager with Maverick Farms, a fruit and vegetable market garden and 25 member CSA, where he shared responsibility for supervising seed starting, transplanting, pruning, and harvesting.

Jesse currently raises pastured pork and grows both sorghum and a variety of berries on a small farm near Readstown. He is a musician and square dance caller in his free time and plays in a local band called the Pie City Ramblers.

Later this year, we intend to cover the solar thermal high tunnel with a double layer of plastic.  The gap between the layers will be inflated with an inexpensive fan, creating an insulated pocket of air.  Based on research conducted in other solar thermal high tunnels, we expect this simple and innovative solution will significantly boost nighttime air temperatures in the early and late growing seasons.

Despite the late start, we expect to begin harvesting both traditional and heirloom tomatoes by mid to late June and peppers shortly afterwards.  This is also the second year of our efforts to pioneer a blackberry industry in the Upper Midwest, and while full production is not realized until the third year, we expect to harvest a small quantity of organically grown berries.

All of our produce will be available through an e-commerce portal located on the Scenic Valley Farms’ website.  You’ll also be able to find our produce at the weekend farmer’s markets in Viroqua and Gays Mills.